Union Threatens Legal Action for Custodians Held at Columbia

NEW YORK – The head of the union that represents custodians at Columbia University is blasting the school president and threatening legal action for failing to protect union members during protests there last week.
 
TWU International President John Samuelsen said the college failed to protect union members, including two Custodians held against their will, when protesters stormed and occupied Hamilton Hall on April 30, 2024.

“Columbia University epically failed to protect the safety of these university employees, who were forced to fight their way out of the building,” Samuelsen wrote in a letter  to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik. “Columbia also failed a TWU-represented Security Officer who was subjected to verbal abuse by aggressive and threatening protesters who broke into the building.

“The university “was aware that outside agitators were operating on campus and posed an increased risk to university employees, yet the university continued to assign their work routines as if it were ‘business as usual,’” Samuelsen said.

TWU Local 241 represents 725 workers at Columbia, including custodians, security Officers and Electricians. The union is exploring legal action against the university and the Hamilton Hall occupiers.

The union also issued the following demands to the Columbia president as it seeks accountability:
1) The names of the occupiers arrested inside Hamilton Hall.

2) Access to the CCTV footage from Hamilton Hall during the relevant period of time.

3) Directives/information provided to Columbia by the NYPD and/or other law enforcement bodies regarding the composition of protesters.

4) An Immediate meeting with the university president regarding mitigation steps necessary to avoid future placement of members in harm’s way if the protests resume, and recompense to the TWU members who were subjected to this despicable conduct.

During the protest, pro-Palestinian demonstrators broke into Hamilton Hall at Columbia University and renamed it Hind's Hall, after Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old who was killed during an Israeli airstrike in January.

The demonstrators were calling on the university to divest from all companies doing business with Israel.

The New York Police Department stormed Hamilton Hall on April 30 and made 109 arrests. While the NYPD is still working to determine how many of those were students, New York Mayor Eric Adams told reporters Columbia's break-in was "led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university."